Why long-term investment matters
The goal of schools’ ministry isn’t just to grow your congregation’s youth organisations. It’s about something bigger: impacting your local community through its schools and helping children and young people encounter the living God.
Our mission is to go into all the world and make disciples. This means building long-term, meaningful relationships and going to where young people are, not just waiting for them to come to us.
Here are some ways to build that kind of investment.
Scripture Union E3 workers (Northern Ireland only)
The E3 Schools Project places trained workers in districts across Northern Ireland to deliver localised schools’ ministry. They partner with local churches and volunteers to:
- Engage pupils with the Bible and Jesus’ message.
- Equip Christian teachers and pupils.
- Empower churches to pray and get involved.
The work is fully funded by local donations. E3 is active in seven areas with the aim of expanding across all of Northern Ireland.
Teaching lessons
- It’s Your Move: Three lessons to support P7/6th class pupils as they transition to post-primary. Includes practical advice and biblical reflection.
- Amazing Jesus: A set of three lessons for KS2/senior classes exploring Jesus’ miracles and what they reveal about who he is.
There are also opportunities to lead lessons in primary, post-primary and special schools.
Bible Timeline Assemblies
This is a series of 72 free assemblies from Scripture Union designed to take primary pupils through the Bible over three years.
They explore the Bible story and key Christian beliefs. Ideal for ministers, teachers, or others involved in school assemblies.
Browse or download from: suni.co.uk/schools/bibletimeline
Empowering Churches in Schools’ Ministry
A workshop by Scripture Union Northern Ireland to help churches reflect on how they can connect with local schools in helpful, appropriate ways.
Includes training on context and practical steps.
Prayer Spaces in Schools
Prayer spaces give children and young people time to reflect, pray, and explore life’s big questions in a calm, creative setting. They’re rooted in Christian values but open to all.
Prayer Spaces in Schools outlines nine practical steps to plan and run a prayer space in school.
- Getting started
- Serving the school community
- Choosing a room
- Choosing the prayer activities
- Recruiting and training a team
- Registering your prayer space
- Publicity and preparation
- Running your prayer space
- What next?
Week-long prayer spaces often provoke conversations about something more permanent. For example, here are a few quotes from recent stories:
- “Some staff have now begun to think about the lasting effect that a permanent prayer space within the school or school grounds might have, despite our lack of space indoors. When you see something that can help bring such peace and calm, it is hard to ignore it, isn‘t it?”
- “We are continuing to work with the school to develop a permanent space/room.”
- “The teachers said that a space like this should be provided more often and even that their students had been returning to class more peaceful.”
All over the UK, having experienced the positive impact that a week-long prayer space has on spiritual and pastoral life of their whole community, schools and churches are increasingly working together in a number of ways, including after-school cafés, lunchtime groups, mentoring programmes, chaplaincy teams, regular or even permanent prayer spaces, bereavement support, workshop series or classroom assistance.
Local contact in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland:
More info and local support: prayerspacesinschools.com/find-local-support
Facebook: Prayer Spaces in Schools Ireland